Nizhnekamsk secured their first victory of the campaign when they beat Sochi 5:1 in the KHL on Tuesday. The result ends a run of three straight defeats for the home side, who had lost four of their last five matches before this one. Sochi, meanwhile, remain winless with no games played this season.
By then, the visitors had already been through a difficult spell. They lost 0:4 to Novosibirsk in August and had not tasted a win since their February defeat to CSKA Moscow. On paper, they looked the weaker outfit, though the table does not tell the full story.
And here's the thing about opening a season. You do not know what you are dealing with until you have played. Nizhnekamsk came out with energy, and Sochi never really found their rhythm. The scoreline might suggest a one-sided affair, but the early pressure from the hosts set the tone.
To be fair, Nizhnekamsk had been struggling. They lost 2:4 at Lokomotiv, then bounced back with a 7:1 win over Cherepovets before the recent three-game slump. This victory gives them something to build on — momentum matters more than any single result.
The standings now show Nizhnekamsk in seventh place with one game, zero points before this win. Sochi sit ninth, also on zero points after no games played. The gap is still theoretical, but the psychological edge belongs to the home side.